To help produce the next generation of highly skilled employees that King County’s aerospace industry needs to remain competitive, Executive Dow Constantine and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County announced that $250,000 will be available for high-demand aerospace training.

King County’s aerospace industry faces a shortage of skilled workers as the current generation prepares for retirement, and there’s a greater need for skill updates as technology in advanced manufacturing accelerates. At a King County Aerospace Alliance meeting convened by Executive Constantine, local aerospace leaders and workforce developers discussed the new funding for training and other strategies to connect King County adults and youth with aerospace career opportunities.

“We have thousands of high-paying, in-demand aerospace jobs that are going unfilled in King County,” said Executive Constantine. “That’s why I’m working with local business and education leaders to connect residents with opportunities and ensure that we have the highly skilled, talented workforce that our region’s aerospace industry needs to compete.”

Workforce development was the focus of this year’s fall meeting of the King County Aerospace Alliance, which the Executive hosted at South Seattle College’s Georgetown campus. The alliance—which Executive Constantine created in 2012—unites local jurisdictions, businesses and labor to support the local aerospace industry, which employs 56,000 King County residents and another 75,000 in related fields.

The new aerospace training fund will be managed by The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, a nonprofit think-tank and grant-making organization whose mission is to support a strong economy and the ability of each person to achieve self-sufficiency. Funded through federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act dollars, the WDC’s Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant uses sector strategies to create coordinated, demand-driven efforts to train and employ recently laid-off workers.

“The leadership exemplified by Executive Constantine and aerospace industry partners has been integral to our ability to identify workforce gaps and develop effective industry-driven solutions,” says Marléna Sessions, CEO of the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County.

The deadline for organizations to apply for the new aerospace workforce training program is 5 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2015.